There is potentially yet another stumble in the way of the British royal family.Royal admirers better embrace themselves, because yet another royal rumble is about to happen – if it hasn’t happened already.Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are heading for ‘permanent separation’.Yes, you read that right.Read on to know more.
What’s happening?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are reportedly struggling to rehabilitate their public image after suffering a drop in recent popularity polls.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary earlier this month, have faced negative publicity, particularly in Britain, with the latest YouGov poll showing Meghan’s popularity in the UK has plummeted to its lowest point since tracking began in 2017. Meanwhile, Prince Harry, too, is said to have grown “increasingly weary” of the unfavourable coverage and the couple’s declining popularity.In this scenario, the Sussex Royals are keen on creating their own ‘royal’ household structure. While doing so, the couple is heading for a permanent separation – not in their personal lives, but in their professional endeavors.
What is a professional separation?
‘Professional separation’, refers to the ending of an employment relationship between an employee and their employer, essentially meaning when someone leaves their job, whether by resigning, being terminated, retiring, or due to other reasons; it signifies the formal conclusion of their professional connection with the company.
The separated approach:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear to be adopting the same trusted methods as the monarchy to build their business and philanthropic interests. The ex-royals, who stepped down as senior royals in early 2020, have dramatically revamped their staff structure to mirror the hierarchical system that has underpinned the monarchy for decades.
Meghan and Harry are reportedly set to have their own chief of staffs as part of this new arrangement, which represents a significant shift from their previous reliance on informal joint advisers.Who will be responsible for this approach?Reportedly, Meredith Kendall Maines, a seasoned communications strategist whose role has drawn comparisons with Sir Clive Alderton, the Private Secretary to King Charles and Queen Camilla, is going to be at the helm of this new operation. She will lead a team of 11 staff operating out of Montecito, California, and the UK.This restructuring will operate separately from Archewell, the Sussexes’ philanthropic foundation, and each senior appointee in the new household is set to reportedly earn a six-figure salary.
The key figures:
What we know so far is, Miranda Barbot, a veteran political and media adviser who helped re-elect US President Barack Obama in 2012, will be leading Team Harry. She has been with the Sussexes since 2022 and successfully managed their three-day trip to Nigeria last year, which was reportedly “controlled skilfully”.On the other hand, Sarah Fosmo, formerly an aide to Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, will focus on supporting Meghan. The 45-year-old’s appointment was announced this month, and she will oversee what has been described as a “dynamic period of growth” for the duchess.
The future of the Sussex Royals:
Prince Harry is set to launch his own as-yet-undisclosed commercial venture in the coming months. While he will continue to focus on the Invictus Games Foundation, sources indicate he has “commercial ideas of his own” that will be revealed later this year.As per a source, reported by GB News, “Harry is unkindly described as the ‘spare’ to Meghan’s endeavours.The source added, “In reality, he has been giving her the space to flourish. Now it is his time to throw himself into exciting new work. Invictus will always come first, but he has also been working on commercial ideas of his own.”
Is Meghan feeling ‘lonely’ due to the separation?
While the new approach and arrangements are being done, keeping their professional and financial success and the rehabilitation and restoration of their public image, Meghan Markle has admitted to being ‘incredibly lonely’ following reports of her ‘professional separation’ from Prince Harry.Meghan recently spoke about how running a business can be ‘incredibly lonely’.On her podcast ‘Confessions of a Female Founder’, the Duchess of Sussex said, “When you only have yourself to answer to, I think it’s two-fold.” While she called the experience “incredibly liberating,” she also admitted that it made her feel “incredibly lonely” as well.